Storm and 39 Clues
by Stormfangstar
Summary: The clue hunt leads to Alaska, and Amy, Ian, and Natalie run into a wolf named Storm. Storm leads them to his home, where he lives with a tribe of outcasts. It is a time of desperation, and secrets unfold that Storm had promised to keep to himself.
1. RainTribe

**Sorry, I forgot the disclaimer! I don't own 39 Clues, but I wish I did. If anyone is wondering, yes, I am Stormfang, but that name was taken. And I did take the collars from Up, but I didn't have any other ideas. Please enjoy my first Fanfiction story!**

Amy watched as the Kabras began to move closer. She almost screamed as a wolf leapt in front of them, blocking their path. The Kabras didn't seem too surprised to see it there. It had thick grey fur, sharp teeth, piercing blue eyes, and a thin scar, barely visible, even in the brightest of sunlight. The weirdest thing, though, was the collar around its neck. It was brown leather, and seemed like it would be a pain to have to wear around one's neck all the time. The wolf bared its teeth at Ian and Natalie. They tensed, but barely. Natalie handed her brother her dart gun, and Ian pointed it at the wolf. It narrowed its eyes and pressed its ears forward aggressively. Ian discharged the dart gun. It buried its point into the wolf's flank and the creature yelped, but then it pulled the dart out and spit it onto the ground. Then, it licked blood from the wound and turned to face the Kabras.

"You are fools."

A light flickered on the collar, and Amy realized that the collar took the wolf's thoughts and turned them into human language. The light was red when he spoke.

"Let me guess; River mixed herbs for you that prevented the dart's poised from doing any damage to you. Correct?" Ian said, frustrated.

"Yes," The wolf replied. "Janus are more useful then you think."

Amy gasped. The wolf knew about the Cahills. He was a Cahill. She knew she had to talk to this wolf.

"Storm, why didn't you tell us you moved your tribe from England to Alaska? We used to be neighbors," Ian said smoothly.

The wolf sighed. "My tribe is falling apart. I'm afraid we may have separate. As in," Storm took a deep breath. "live among humans. The only ones not facing disaster is my pack."

There was silence, and then "Bring me to them, Storm. Maybe I can help."

Storm looked at Ian like he was crazy. "Why would you help me?"

"We're both Lucians. We're allies."

"You've never helped me before. Not in seven years. Why should I believe you? I was in Korea and Russia, Kabra. As was Shadow. We were watching you. You're a traitor."

Ian didn't say anything. Storm gazed at him for a moment, a tiny flicker of hope crossing his eyes.

"Well, I suppose you couldn't hurt us more than we are. Follow me," Storm decided, and he turned away, leading them through the thin trees in the snow; right toward Amy's hiding spot.

Amy closed her eyes and tried not to think as the Kabras and Storm drew closer. She could hear Natalie whine under her breath with every step she took with her Prada sneakers in the leaves and mud.

"Silence!" Storm hissed. "You never know when a Madrigal may be lurking in the shadows, waiting for us."

Madrigals! That scared Amy even more and she closed her eyes tighter. Suddenly the footsteps stopped. Amy carefully opened her eyes. The wolf had his front paws propped up against the tree, so Amy could see the coldness in his stare.

"What are you doing here?" He spat. "This is Rain Tribe territory!"

Amy opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

"It's alright, Storm," Ian said. "She's with us. Her name is Amy Cahill."

"Amy Cahill?" Storm repeated. Something about the way he said it sent chills down her spine. "I am sorry," The wolf said. "Very sorry."

"Uh-huh." Amy nodded. Storm jumped down from the tree. "Why don't you join us?" He asked. "You're already here, and our camp isn't far away."

"U-um, I-I don't think-"

"Come on, Amy," Ian purred. "Like Storm said, you're already here."

"B-but-"

"Just come on," Storm pushed. "You're safe now. You're in more danger with your brother in a hotel then here."

Amy looked at Storm, to Ian, then back again. Storm seemed to see what she was thinking. "It's alright. The Cobras won't hurt you."

Ian and Natalie glared at the wolf, but didn't say anything. "Come. You're safe with us. I promise."

Amy nodded numbly, than followed the small patrol.

Rain Tribe's camp wasn't anything like Ian had remembered it. Now, it was an abandoned building with broken windows and chipped paint. A snow leopard was standing guard. The walls were reinforced with brambles. Storm dipped his head to the snow leopard. "Greetings, Snowfur," He said. She nodded in reply. "Storm."

The wolf led them through an old rusted door, or door frame, into what was the living room. Natalie looked disgusted. She squealed as she walked through some cobwebs. "Well, it's nothing special," Storm said. "Actually, it's awful. I can't stand living here."

"Then why don't you move?" Natalie suggested.

"There's nowhere to go," Storm replied sadly. "We're stuck, and starving. This leaf-bare has been especially hard." He glanced around. "Why don't I show you around? I'm sure Rain Tribe would love to see you again."

"A-again?"Amy stuttered. Storm let his ice blue gaze fall on her. "Amy, there's a lot I need to tell you. But now is not the time. Arthur, Hope and Grace warned me to wait until the time is right. Now is not the time to share unknown secrets; secrets even my closest allies and family don't know."

"Y-y-you knew my p-parents and G-Grace?"

"Of course. We were very good friends. We shared a lot together."

Ian and Natalie were gaping at the wolf, and clearly they had no idea what Storm meant.

"Ian and Natalie Kabra. Why am I not surprised?"

Everyone whirled around to face the speaker. Storm dipped his head in respectfully. "Greetings, Shadow. I was just about to hunt you down and ask you to help me show them around our-ah-home."

"Of course," The other wolf replied. "I would love to. Just keep an eye on the Cobras. Even though we are Lucians, I don't trust them. And I know I am not alone."

Her amber gaze flickered over to Amy, who was looking more confused than ever. There was a pause, which seemed to last forever, until Storm spoke up. "Well, let's go. We don't have all night."

He turned, Natalie flanking him on one side, Shadow on the other. Storm snuck a side glance at her. The black she-wolf was the best fighter he had ever known; even better then himself. He hoped-he knew- that she was ready for the challenge. Ready to fight for the lives of the Cahills and the Kabras both. He sighed.

"What's wrong?"

Shadow's voice made Storm jump. She wasn't looking at him, but her left ear was pointed in his direction. He hadn't realized she was listening. "Well?" She pushed, less friendly this time.

"Nothing," Storm replied. "It's just-I don't know if they're ready."

He shot a nervous look toward Natalie, then to Ian and Amy. They weren't listening. Natalie was glancing around disapprovingly, Ian was looking around also, every once in a while shooting an apologetic glance at Amy, who was shaking a little, trying to avoid Ian's eyes. Storm decided that it was okay to continue. "It's dangerous, and Dan and Nellie aren't here. We can't go back for them. It's too late. What's done is done."

It was Shadow's turn to sigh. "You're starting to sound like Irina Spasky," She said. "'What's done is done.' It's too bad she's gone. We grew close to her; she was one of us. We loved her and she will be missed dearly. Forever."

Storm opened his mouth to say something, but Ian cut him off. "Storm, would it kill you to clean up a bit?"

"Yes," Storm said.

"But-"

"Don't question him!" Shadow snarled. "He's our leader. He's always right."

Ian returned to doing whatever he was doing, trying to reach for Amy's hand, Amy pulling away nervously.  
"Kabra!" Storm called sharply.

"Yes?" Ian and Natalie responded. "**Ian** Kabra," Storm said.

Natalie huffed irritably, but nodded and turned away, snorting angrily as she brushed another cobweb away.

"Leave her alone," Storm said, his fur bristling slightly; only Shadow could tell.

"What do you mean?" Ian snapped.

"Amy," Storm said matter-of-factly. "Stop bothering her. She's not in the mood. If you're going to do that, wait until we're not around."

"I'm not bothering her, am I, love?" Ian turned toward Amy, who blushed and looked away.

"Ian," Storm warned.

"What? It's a reasonable question. Now all I want is the answer. Amy, am I bothering you?" Ian asked, smirking slightly.

"Uh-huh." Amy replied, still looking at the floor.

"There. See? Leave her alone now," Storm felt anger beginning to spread through him, threatening to turn and tear the Kabra apprentice to shreds.

Ian sighed. "Alright, I'll leave her alone. For now."

Storm shook his head, trying to clear it. Once again, Shadow made him jump. "Kabra! Storm said stop, so stop!" Shadow yowled.

"What? I'm not doing anything-"

"Ian just listen to them!" Natalie hissed. "You know you can't win! They trained us, and there's much they haven't taught us I'm sure! There's no sense of fighting back!"

"But sister-"

"She's right this time," Storm tried to stay calm and not leap for Ian's throat. "There is much we haven't taught you. And never will." He paused. "Unfortunately, common sense was among lessons we never bothered to teach," Storm muttered coolly. Ian gave up and just walked formally, only stealing side glances at Amy.

Storm and Shadow led them into a room full of dogs and cats, playing and teaching each other new skills. A red and white border collie and a black and white spaniel were wrestling, chasing each other around. Amy noticed a cat in the corner with silver fur. She wasn't sure for a moment, and then..."S-Saladin?" She said. The cat turned to face her. "Amy!" He said cheerfully. "Hi!"

Amy just stood there, staring at Grace's old cat. He came trotting over to her and rubbed against her ankles. "I'm happy you came!" He meowed. Amy picked him up and Natalie sneezed. "Stupid cat," She muttered under her breath. Saladin hissed. "Excuse me, Miss Cobra, but the last time I checked, you were the one on your way to Kyrgyzstan, yes?"

Natalie blushed angrily, but didn't say anything. "I thought so," Saladin purred, satisfied. Amy buried her face in the Mau's fur, trying not to cry. She also recognized Arnold, the Holt's dog, and Buffy(who changed her name to Whitefang), Alastair's dog, but no others. "Wait, Whitefang!" Saladin mewed. "I'm sorry, but I just have to ask. What was it like in Korea, attacking Ian?"

"It was great," Whitefang replied. "Really fun. My new hobby."

Saladin shrugged. "Huh. I'll have to try it some time."

"Uh, no!" Ian yelled, his face turning red. A purr rumbled in the cat's throat, louder then Amy had ever heard him purr, and it made her laugh. Whitefang paused to scratch at her collar. "Ugh. I hate wearing these stupid things. Why do we have to talk to humans anyway?" She growled. She turned and left as Arnold called her over.

"Storm!" Storm whirled around to face Snowfur. "Storm," She breathed. "we can't leave. There's a terrible blizzard, almost impossible to see through."

"Show me." The wolf followed his Tribe mate through the hall and to a broken window. When he returned, he didn't look happy. He took a deep breath before confronting Amy, Ian, and Natalie. "I'm afraid," He began carefully. "we're stuck here tonight."


	2. Saladin's secrets

I do not own anything in this story except for most of the animal characters.

As soon as the words left Storm's mind, he instantly regretted them. All at once, Amy, Ian, and Natalie started yelling at him. His mind buzzed until he could take no more. The wolf turned and trotted angrily to the only small, metal staircase that wound up toward the second, one-roomed floor. He gingerly jumped out the broken window, onto the roof overhanging where the door used to be. Storm sighed heavily, trying to push away the memories overcrowding his mind. Isabel, forcing him to teach her kids the ways of being a Lucian. Of course, Vikram and Shadow helped, but Storm also had to give Ian and Natalie the eagle medallion; the Rain Tribe symbol. Each warrior had one attached to their collar to show their loyalty to their Tribe. The wolf had been against it, and he had taught Irina how to defend herself as well. In the seven years Storm had lived, he had done some great things. He shuddered as he tried to get rid of his most awful memories; his father, Moon's, death, when he had killed a bear after it had taken the life of his mentor, Fang. His mother Snowbird, falling to illness. Worst of all, when his only daughter, Feather, was shot by a hunter. But of course, the fire that killed Hope and Arthur also. He had managed to save Amy, Dan, and Hope, and had wanted to kill himself as he watched Hope leave her children for the clues. Nobody had seen Storm there that night, which was good. He didn't want them to. The prophecy Savage, the leader of the Madrigals, had given to Isabel had driven her. You are fire, and you will blaze through their ranks. But beware! Even the strongest of flames can be destroyed by water. Storm had always wondered why the Cahills had kept so many secrets from each other; why they still do. "Hey,"

Storm whirled around to see his mate, Blizzard, standing behind him. She slowly came forward and sat beside him, her pelt brushing his. "What's wrong?" She asked gently, her pale blue eyes glazed with worry. "Nothing," Storm murmured.

"Storm," The white she-wolf repeated. "Is it the prophecy? About Amy, Dan, Ian, and Natalie?"

"Huh. Yeah, I guess." He paused, straining his eyes to see through the snow to look at the stars. "It's just; what if we don't make it, Blizzard? What if we lose?"

"We won't. We have you as our leader. Nobody beats Storm. Not in seven years." Blizzard gently laid her head on Storm's shoulder, watching the snow fall and the stars glow high above.

Saladin was licking his pelt, trying to clean himself up after the run to the old house with Arnold and Whitefang, but he didn't take his eyes off of the humans. They sat quietly around him, waiting. "Saladin," Ian began cautiously. "what's wrong with Storm?"

Saladin sighed. "Storm is a wolf of many secrets. He has a lot to deal with, and you certainty don't help." He bent his head and gave his chest fur a few quick licks, than he paused. "Here, let me start from the beginning. Storm was just a young wolf when his pack got in a fight with another pack. Moon, Storm's father, got killed. Then Fang went hunting alone, about two moons later, and was killed by a bear that wanted the deer she had caught. When Storm saw the bear eating Fang's catch, the bloodlust took over him, and he was drawn by an angry fury, and he killed the bear. Blizzard's father, Mud, was shot by a hunter, and her mother left and never returned. To this day, nobody knows what happened to Blossom. Worst of all, Storm and Blizzard's first born daughter, their only daughter, was out hunting alone for the very first time, when she was young, and was also shot by a hunter. To be honest, I don't really understand why he doesn't hate humans.

"Then there was the fire that killed Hope and Arthur. Storm had managed to get you, Amy, Dan, and Hope out, but barely, and felt miserable when Hope left her children alone and went back inside for the clues. He ran away before he was spotted, but the next day, Isabel grabbed Storm on his way to visit Grace and flew him back to London, to the Kabra estate. There, she made him teach Ian and Natalie a few things. She then went back to pick up Shadow. It was pretty pointless, considering that they taught them how to live like people; people who have feelings. Storm and Shadow also taught them a few Lucian tricks, but only when Isabel and Vikram were around. Otherwise, they taught them how to follow their heart; how to do what's right. Once the older Kabras found out, they undid all of the wolf's work and taught their kids how to be ruthless. Then they made Storm give them eagle medallions, the Rain Tribe symbol, and make them a part of the Tribe.

"Of course, the wolves were against it, but Storm wanted to keep his life so that he could take care of his family. So he gave them their ceremonies and Isabel brought Storm and Shadow back to Boston. There, Storm gave Grace and Vikram's mother a prophecy that the Pack of Stars sent him in a dream. Every weekend, after Amy and Dan left, Storm went and talked to Grace and me, once I got my collar back on. It was fun, until Storm reported that he thought it was too dangerous for the Tribe to live there. So he told us good-bye, and Grace never saw him again. I thought I wouldn't either, until the clue hunt lead here. Whitefang snuck underneath the plane from Korea and ditched the people who worked there, went and found Arnold, then me. Now, a while ago, Storm and Jayflight got a prophecy and went through the mountains to retrieve Nellie from a stronghold, after she was kidnapped by Tomas agents. They met Zues, Thalia, and Annabeth along the way, and, of course, Snowfur. They all wanted to be a part of the Tribe, and when Storm found out they were Cahills, he quickly agreed.

"And here's another twist; Storm knows Amy and Dan's branch."

Amy almost stopped breathing from shock. "What?" She whispered.

Saladin shook his head. "Only Storm knows. He never told anyone."


	3. Old Friends

Saladin sighed as he watched Amy's face fall.

"I'm sorry," He meowed. "But if you want to know, you should ask Storm. Eventually, he'll have to tell you."

Ian looked past Amy and Saladin, where another wolf, Rain, was crouched over another dog, a pile of leaves at her paws.

"Amy," She coaxed. "You have to eat these. They'll keep your strength up; your pups are due any day now, and you'll need it. Trust me."

Amy nodded. "I guess you're right."

Rain pushed the leaves closer to the lab's muzzle, and she lapped them up slowly.

Rain sighed. "Thank you. Now Cobra will stay out of my way; he's been bothering me so much! 'Are the pups coming?' 'Can I see Amy?' 'Will you please help her?' Obnoxious!"

Amy sighed. "Yeah, he can be that way. But there's nothing I can do. After the Great Journey, it's not like he'd leave me alone anyway—even if I wasn't his mate."

Rain dipped her head respectfully. "Good point. Very good point."

There was a yowl from somewhere else. Rain sighed. "I think Frogblood has another thorn in his paw. Darkpetal's been such a pest lately, after Frogblood went on the Journey with us, and now fits in, unlike her—still a petty prisoner. She's been placing thorns all over the place, waiting for him. I don't know what Diesel thinks he's doing, leaving her to do whatever she wishes. I'll have to talk to Storm about that; he'll put up a new guard."

The grey wolf turned to leave, but she spotted Ian watching her. "Ian Kabra," She said. "It's been a long time." She called over her shoulder, "Tundra, do you mind helping Frogblood? I have some other…_business_…to take care of."

"Sure," The white she-wolf appeared and went to where Rain told her Frogblood was. Then Rain turned back to Ian, slowly walking toward him, her green and blue eyes sparkling.

"Well," She began. "This is…a little strange."

"Touché," Ian replied.

Rain snorted. "Same old Kabra. Arrogant, selfish, ruthless. Will you ever change?"

Ian studied her for a moment. "It's so weird."

"What?"

"Seeing you now. Last time, you were so young and foolish."

The wolf looked him up and down from his seat on the floor. "You really shouldn't talk. Look at yourself! Such a snob!"

"Excuse me. When did you become so rude?"

They were just teasing each other now; Rain knew better than to take Ian's comments seriously. Ian looked past her, towards the lab she had just been treating.

"Who's that?" He asked.

"Who? Amy?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm sure you've heard of the Great Journey; when a group of us went into the mountains, found a crystal, and heard what the Elements had to tell us. Amy and Cobra were among us. They fell in love on the way back, and long story short, she's about to have pups."

She paused. "She was named after Amy Cahill, you know. Her mother, Violet, let Storm and Blizzard name her. Storm chose Amy, because he thought that he would never see her again."

There was an awkward moment of silence before Rain spoke up, "Why don't I go get Lightning, Thunder, Star and Tornado? Really, they can't miss this."

Ian nodded, and Rain turned and vanished into another room, soon to return with her brother and sisters. Lightning and Thunder had strong muscles that quivered under thick fur, and Star and Tornado were almost up to their elbows. The younger wolves pranced around them, yelping happily. Thunder paused when he spotted Ian.

"Ian Kabra," He growled. "It's been too long."

The wolf's ears were pressed forward, his eyes narrowed, like he was about to attack.

"Thunder," Lightning scolded. "Be nice."

She never let her gaze drift away from Ian, until she saw Amy sitting with Natalie and Saladin.

"That…That can't be…" Lightning whispered, letting her sentence trail off.

"Amy Cahill," Thunder was looking at her now. "Father told us a lot about her. Dan, Hope, and Arthur too. And Grace. We've met her, though."

Lightning was leaning forward on her toes, resisting the urge to run over and nuzzle Amy.

"Huh," She said. "She's…pretty. Just like Storm described her."

Rain nodded. "I know," She murmured.

Ian looked over his shoulder. _Well, sh_e** is** _kind of pretty…_

"Star! Tornado! Come back!" Lightning yowled as the two pups bounded away, towards Amy, Natalie and Saladin. "Sorry!" She called to the girls and cat. "They've got a combined IQ of one!"

Natalie was sitting as far away from Saladin as she could, but made sure she was still in earshot, even though she was sneezing every two minutes or less.

Rain turned sharply as she heard Amy the dog moan. She sighed. "It's alright," She said. "She's fine. It looks like it's going to be a long night."

Thunder cocked his head to one side. "You saw into the future, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I went herb hunting yesterday, and I looked into a puddle, covered with ice, and I saw that Amy's pups are to be born tonight, at moon high."

Lightning's eyes widened. "The night of the full moon? Do you think that means something?"

Rain shook her head. "I don't know."

"Did you tell Cobra?"

"Of course not! It took long enough to get him out of my fur the first time, so why would I want him breathing down my neck all night?"

Lightning shrugged. "I'm going to say you don't."

"Right. If that flea-brain calls me over again, it better be an emergency."

Lightning and Thunder nodded, and then the three of them realized that their sisters were gone. Ian glanced up and saw Star and Tornado wriggling in Amy's arms, and she was laughing as the puppies licked her face. He smiled a little bit. _So cute…_

Rain glanced out the shattered glass window. The sun was setting, staining the sky a gorgeous pink, purple, and blue color. She sighed at the beauty of it all. "Well, I'd better get some sleep. Amy's not going to care for herself when it's time, and River and Tundra said it would be a great learning experience for me."

She turned and trotted away, leaving Lightning, Thunder, and Ian staring after her.

"Well, let's get Star and Tornado. If they don't go to sleep now, they'll get cranky. Nobody wants that," Lightning said. She and Thunder walked over, mumbled a few words to Amy, and grasped their little sisters by the scruffs. Tornado batted uselessly at Lightning's muzzle. "Let me go! I'm not tired!"

"You will be later," Lightning replied.

"Then I'll sleep than!"

"But you'll get cranky if you don't sleep now."

"No, I won't!"

"Yes, you will!"

"But Blizzard never said so!"

Lightning snorted. "Well, I'm in charge now."

"No you aren't!"

"Yeah, I am!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Both of you, just _shut up_!" Thunder yowled through a mouthful of Star's dark cream fur. "_I'm_ getting cranky now!"

"Sorry Thunder," Lightning and Tornado said in unison.

"Ah, better," Thunder said triumphantly.

Everyone was sleeping quietly that night; peacefully. Slowly, the moon rose until it was in the center of the sky. Amy (the dog) yowled in pain, waking everybody from their sleep. Rain was the first one up.

"The pups are coming!"

**I do not own anything except the setting and most of the animal characters. Sorry I took so long to update. I've been really busy!**


	4. Jayflight's Lullaby

I do not own anything except most of the ideas and animal characters.

After staying up the rest of the night, everyone was calm and happy again. Amy (the dog) was curled around eight pups; Alexandra, a black dog with a white star on her forehead; Kate, a pale brown dog; Julie, a silver-grey dog; Stephanie, a silver-grey and white dog; Terri, a pale golden dog with pale green eyes; Annie, a white dog with brown eyes; Lion, a thick golden furred dog with thicker fur around his neck; and Rock, a dark grey dog with piercing blue eyes. Cobra was pressed next to her on the other side, and Thorn and Clover decided to tell their secret; now Clover was in the nursery with Amy, Blizzard, Kacey, Addie, and Emma. Blizzard had been in the nursery for a while, and the others had just joined not long ago. Kacey and Emma seemed irritable; well, more than usual. They weren't really happy about being stuck in there in the first place, so forget about having more pups in with them. The only ones that were there were Star and Tornado, than the kits, but they didn't really bother them, and if two was enough for those cranky dogs, than ten should be fun. Not to mention when they had their pups. Addie seemed pretty happy about it, though.

"I wanna play with the new puppies!" Tornado whispered into her mother's ear.

"First of all," Blizzard replied. "It's the middle of the night. Second, they're much too young. Give it a moon of two."

"But Star's boring! And the kits never play with us!"

"Hey!" Star yelped. "I heard that!"

"All I'm trying to say is, we need new playmates."

Blizzard sighed. "Not long after these pups can play, the others will be there. And then you'll want to play with them."

"Of course we will," Star spoke up. "We're pups; we won't be much longer, though."

Blizzard sighed. "Alright. But you still have to wait."

She licked Star's head. "Good night, little ones."

Rain opened her eyes. She was standing at the edge of the woods, looking out over a vast lake. It shimmered in the sunlight, making Rain feel like she never wanted to leave this place.

"Rain," A voice whispered. The grey wolf turned to see the glimmering image of a wolf with stars in her fur; she was about the same age as Rain.

"Feather," She breathed.

"Rain, listen," The spirit replied. "Look into the lake. Look into the lake and tell me what you see."

Rain nodded and stepped forward, until she was on the edge of the rock. She looked down into the water. It shimmered and an image appeared. She gasped. The young wolf saw three people—Amy and Ian, she guessed. They were a lot older now, though—and they had a little girl between them.—Their daughter?—She had dark skin, like Ian, but long, reddish brown hair and jade green eyes, like Amy's. Rain shivered. Suddenly, the image disappeared, and she was left alone with her long dead sister.

"Feather," She murmured. "What-what was that? What am I supposed to do?"

Feather shook her head. "That is for you to decide. Good luck."

Her spirit began to disappear.

"Feather, no! Don't leave me!"

It was too late. The other wolf was gone.

Rain's eyes shot open, and she was breathing heavily. She didn't feel like she had gotten any sleep. She scrambled to her paws, her head thrashing wildly from side to side. I have to find River! She thought. I need to figure out what that dream meant! "River!" Rain yowled. "River—" She yelped and tripped over her own paws. The wolf leapt back up, ready to run, but something stopped her. She looked down and gasped. On the floor, glinting in the rising sun, was a golden ring, embedded with a crystal heart. Rain cocked her head. It looked new—not like the other things in the house, old and brittle. Love can make us do crazy things… Rain glanced around at the sound of her sister's voice. Feather's sent wreathed around her, trying to tell her something. She grabbed the ring in her mouth and raced across the room.

"River!" She yelled. "River!"

River grunted and lifted her head. "Yes, Rain?"

"I had a dream…"

After Rain explained her dream to River and showed her the ring, there was an awkward silence. Rain sighed. "What do you think?" She asked.

"I think you should—er—tell Ian, I guess, and give him the ring. Maybe he'll know what to do."

Rain dipped her head, lapped up the ring, and ran to wake Ian. He was still asleep on the floor with Natalie and Amy. The wolf carefully stepped over Amy and nudged Ian.

"Ian. Ian!" She whispered.

"Huh?" He grunted. "What? I'm sleeping."

"I need to tell you something…"

Rain explained the whole story again, than dropped the ring on the floor.

"Here." She said. "Give this to Amy. It's part of the prophecy."

Ian snorted. "Like she would except that from me."

"Well? Just slip it on her finger while she's sleeping. Go! Hurry!"

"Now?"

"Yes!"

Ian snatched the ring off of the floor and carefully slipped it onto Amy's finger. I wonder what she's going to do when she finds that tomorrow. He laughed a little.

"Alright," Rain sighed. "You can go back to sleep now. I have to go check on the other Amy."

She turned and walked away. The wolf stopped when she found Amy and Cobra curled around their pups, sound asleep.

"Amy. Amy, wake up."

"Huh?" She raised her head. The lab's eyes were still half closed. "What?"

"I just wanted to check on you."

"I'm fine. We all are, thank you."

Rain dipped her head. "You're welcome."

She stayed for a moment, until Amy's deep breathing told her that the young queen was asleep. One of the pups, Alexandra, yelped in her sleep. Rain lowered her head and licked the puppy's, right where the star was. "Sweet dreams, little one," She whispered, remembering when she was a pup and Blizzard soothed her whenever Thunder had put thorns in their nest, or Willow told them a scary story about death and destruction. Rain sighed. Well, now what am I supposed to do? She wondered.

"You're not the only one awake."

The wolf jumped at the sound of Jayflight's voice. "Sorry," She said. "I didn't mean to scare you. But I just…wanted to watch the sunrise. And teach you an old lullaby my mother, Faith, sang to me."

Rain nodded eagerly. The white husky mix was an amazing singer; she had a gorgeous voice, like water.

Jayflight cleared her throat and began:

"When the mountain touches the valley  
All the clouds are taught to fly  
Thus our souls shall leave this land most peacefully  
Though our minds be filled with questions  
In our hearts we'll understand  
When the river meets the sea

Like a flower that has blossomed  
In the dry and barren sand  
We are born and born again most gracefully  
Thus the winds of time shall take us  
With a sure and steady hand  
When the river meets the sea

Patience, my brothers  
And patience, my sons  
In that sweet and final hour  
Truth and justice will be done

Like a baby when it is sleeping  
In its loving mother's arms  
What a newborn baby dreams is a mystery  
But his life will find a purpose  
And in time he'll understand  
When the river meets the sea  
When the river meets the almighty sea"  
She finished, and Rain felt a new feeling take over her. "That was…beautiful. Thank you, Jayflight."

Jayflight nodded. "Whenever I got upset, or scared, Mother would just sing that to me. Shadowstar didn't like it much—she thought it was too calm, not fighting music—but I loved it, and I soon learned the lyrics. I know two of my daughters love that song, Flower and Butterfly. Bramble's a boy—I don't expect much—and Wave; Wave is just like my sister. Kind of like the Kabras. Her pups, too. All except for Daphne. Maybe she's mine, and Wave belongs to my sister. Don't get me wrong, I love her! She's my pup! I just worry sometimes, that's all. I-I-I don't know." She looked down at her paws. "Sometimes, I doubt myself. I doubt that I took good care of my pups, and I taught them enough."

"No! No, you did a great job with them! They couldn't ask for a better mother than you! You and Blizzard, two of the most caring creatures to walk the planet! Just trust me; they'll realize how lucky they are later."

Jayflight sighed. "I hope you're right."

Rain heard a scream. "That's Natalie. I'd better go see what she wants, before she scares away all of the prey from here to the Crystal Cave."

She said good-bye to Jayflight, and saw Natalie standing over Ian as he dusted off some tile on the floor. She had tripped over Tornado, who was taunting Lightning and gotten in the way of Natalie's pacing. Amy wasn't paying attention to any of it; she was examining the ring on her finger.

"What does it say?" Natalie asked, peering over Ian to see the tile. Carved into it was a picture of an eagle with a walking stick clutched in its long talons. There was something on the end—a wolf head?—and a code beneath it. Natalie snorted. "We'll never figure that out!"

Amy was paying attention now, a confused look on her face. "Oh," She whispered, just loud enough to hear.

"What?" Natalie growled.

"N-nothing," Amy stuttered. "It's just—th-the c-c-code. It's e-easy."

"It does seem fairly easy, sister," Ian spoke up.

"Well? Don't just stand there! Read it if you're so smart!"

Ian and Amy looked at each other. Amy started:

"C-Cahill. Fly t-to the p-p-peak, retrieve the b-branch."

Natalie's jaw dropped. "How did you do that? It doesn't even look like English!"

"Natalie," Ian soothed. "It's easy. It's just the last letter put in the beginning of the word.

Natalie sniffed. "Oh. Right. Of course, I knew that. I just didn't know if you did."

Ian rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything.

"S-so, how do we g-get to this p-peak?" Amy asked, looking at the floor.

"Oh, well, I have a couple of ideas…" Ian began.


End file.
